NXT UK recap, August 28: The not ready for Cardiff Players

Ilja Dragunov is probably very easy to have a meaningful conversation with

Following his crushing defeat a couple of weeks ago at the hands of Kassius Ohno, Ilja Dragunov has changed. Yes, even though that match and this one were probably taped only a night apart, Dragunov has completely altered his diet and started doing 1,500 squats a day to refocus himself. Truly though, the way to really get over losing to someone in a wrestling match is to wrestle and handily defeat a lesser version of that person.

As such, Ilja Dragunov dispatches of Tyson T-Bone, Kassius Ohno’s non-Union British equivalent. (Well, they’re all non-union, but you understand.) Ohno and T-Bone are both big guys that hit hard, but the latter is overall worse at being that archetype than the latter.

Honestly, this seemed like it would be another easy jobber squash for Dragunov to remind us he’s still very good and trending up, like the NXT UK-equivalent of Goldberg beating Van Hammer or something. But T-Bone actually gave him a really good fight and this felt like a competitive match. Yet, while T-Bone really clocks his opponent good a few times, Ilja Dragunov thrives off of pain. It fuels his fury, which presumably is what makes his eyes so red. That or the contacts he wears.

The best development from this one is that, while his pre-match theatrics are still goof central — can’t expect them to re-tool that over two nights of tapings — he really does seem to be connecting with the crowd. As much as you can’t hear any reaction for his entrance, the crowd really gets behind Ilja more and more with each big move he hits. There’s even an Ilja sign in the crowd! No reason he can’t be a player at the top of the card.